Archive: June 2012

After Jil Van Eyle’s speech at Enric Pladevall’s atelier we went to a roofed patio in his home. There, with a very nice and refreshing breeze, it was PedroAmador’s turn to give us a speech for the Project of Happiness, that some of us dreamers will be developing.

About happiness maybe we could say that everyone wants to be happy. Some would like to know the formula to reach it; some would like to take a magic pill that would instantly make them happy. Others think they are happy but they’re not. Others are happy but they don’t even know it… Are we happy?

Happiness turns out to be harder to find than many other things in life, because it has a huge level of subjectivity that makes it different for each person: what makes you happy doesn’t have to be what makes me or others happy.

In this sense, Pedro Amador explained us his view of happiness, how it has been thought since ancient times and how complex it can get without finding a true answer that could work for everyone or even measure: who could be the happiest person in the world?

For some, being the happiest person in the world could mean making their kids achieve their goals in life, for others, just having the possibility to walk again. Curiously enough, he showed us a tool he developed that tells where you stand in your state of happiness, THE WHEEL OF LIFE, from the Autocoaching Methodology . The tool goes through a panel of different subjects like Home, Health, Personal Growth, Family and friends, Love, Professional growth, Money and Leisure. It doesn’t give you a direct answer of what you should do to be happy (and who should?) but it quickly makes you understand in which of these areas you should work to be happier.

It goes from Your Values (your principles as a person), through Your Believes (your personal opinions about life), to Your Future Self (those goals and dreams you wish to fulfill in life), which all translates into: How am I? What do I want? and What will I change? in order to be happy or happier. It’s even developed with magnetic pieces so you can put them on your fridge and remember everyday where you are standing.

In terms of happiness, some have made statistical measures about it, some others have gone their own way trying to reach it, but what really inspired me about Pedro’s speech (and for which I thank you Pedro) is that, no matter where you stand in life, never stop looking for those things that makes you happy. For me, Happiness is trying to reach my dreams, so I won’t stop following them… and you?

Original version
Look at them. Unknown heroes ready to change the world.
Awaken people. Serious. Hard to impress.
Completely different from one and other.
And a few hours ago they didn’t know each other.

Dreamers.
Learning every second
Useful things for their lives. And for yours too.

During Saturday, Gamestorming activities with Josep Lluis Sanchez y Hugo Pardo Kuklinski were the best solution to empower the dreamers to organize the groups that will work during July in Silicon Valley around the 4 selected projects. Time capsule, Creative Hike, Dali experience, were other activities during the Warm up weekend in Cadaqués. This Slideshare presentation explains why we choose Cadaqués to introduce Imagine Silicon Valley 2012.

A sailor, a coach, a father, a writer… it is difficult, even for him, to describe precisely who Albert Bargués is. However, an hour-long speech was enough for him to touch our hearts and motivate us in the beginning of the Imagine Silicon Valley adventure. He is for sure one of the best sources of inspiration we could have; and no doubt, a true dreamer.

After the Imagine Project presentation to the media, where we, the dreamers met for the first time, we started our way to the “warm up” weekend we had in Cadaqués. Our first stop of the Imagine journey was at Roses, where we had the pleasure to attend Albert’s speech.

Albert has crossed the Atlantic Ocean 14 times – three times all by himself-, and has embarked twice on around-the-world sailing journeys, at the ages of 24 and 47. His next goal is to sail the world by himself. “But, why?”, we wonder. “Because it has always been my dream”, is the answer.

In his speech, he talks about his experience in the Barcelona World Race in 2008, a 109-day-long journey, accompanied by his travelling-partner, Servane Escoffier, on board of the boat Education without borders. His memoirs and feelings during the BWR are collected in his last book, Palabras alrededor del mundo, his personal diary of the crossing.

Albert had pursued his dream for years, and he feels that the opportunity came at the best possible time; “Luck is when the opportunity finds you prepared, and I was very lucky at that moment.” He explains how he realized what gave his participation in the race a special meaning – it was all about the name written on boat. Thus, the promotion of the universal right of education brought a special significance to the trip.

At the end of the talk, we also had the pleasure of sharing his passion with him for a while in an 87-year-old precious boat, San Isidre. We were only there for a few hours, nothing compared to what his around-the-world journeys are like, but it was an unforgettable time nonetheless!

I want to thank you very much Albert for your inspiring words and I wish you the best of luck with your future projects and dreams!!!

People usually say: “Everything is already invented”. Instead, Pep Torres keeps insisting (even writing it on the walls of his museum on huge letters): “Still much is left to invent”. He represents the perfect intersection between an inventor , an entrepreneur and a creative and skilled communicator.

As an inventor, he showed us that the simplest things are still yet to be invented. For example, a dishtowel that has a magnet hidden inside one of its corners an allows you to throw it against the fridge once you don’t need it anymore. The best part of this, is that products like this have been a bestsellers.

As an entrepreneur, he has shown one of the main characteristics of an entrepreneur: perseverance. When he wanted to open his museum he needed a huge amount of money. He went to nearly EVERY existing bank in Barcelona (keep in mind, there where many banks in Barcelona before the crisis got as bad as it is now…) and asked for the money with no guarantee! He used some very emotional slides with music and showed his proven track record as a great inventor and communicator (his inventions have been featured in many of the most important newspapers and magazine around the world: TIME, Wall Street Journal, Asian newspapers…). He ended up getting the money from 3 different banks and now the museum, miba, is a total success. He only needed a laptop and his entrepreneurial attitude. Money is never the problem for an Entrepreneur.

As a creator, he has a proven track record of ideas that have changed people’s behavior and make us think. One of the craziest and most notorious invention is a vending machine with chocolate bars and all kinds of sweets inside that uses no money to work. Instead, you need to use a connected exercise bike that will count the calories you need to burn in order to allow you eat the product you want. It has been featured in TIME magazine and TVnews around the world.

Above all, Pep Torres is something we all are at IMAGINE, a Dreamer. For this reason, I am going to throw an idea in the air and see if the staff at Imagine likes it and uses it. I think some people like Pep should be named “Official Dreamers” or “Dreamer honoris causa” and have them made some kind of diploma, or even better, a T-shirt with the balloon.

It was a pleasure having Pep talking to us at the first event all the dreamers of the 2012 edition met for the first time. Best way possible to begin IMAGINE2012!!!